OK...I just woke up for the second time in 3 days to Delilah vomiting. We've had some vomitting in the recent weeks (maybe once a week/every two weeks), but it has always been regurgitated food, and we're not sure who it was (my boyfriend tells me that at least once it was Belle). I didn't worry too much about it as it was regurged food and not happening A LOT.
Well, 2 days ago, I woke up to Delilah vomiting. She vomited a small pile of brown-ish/clear liquid (NOT the yellowish/foamy stuff I had seen Zoey vomit on occasion). Almost looked like wet food/saliva after it would be in her tummy for a while. I decided to keep a note of it and carry on.
Today, I woke up again to the vomiting noises. Got up right away, as Delilah was moving to another spot to finish her lurching. The first pile was a HUGE pile of clearish-sticky liquid (resembling saliva, but there was a lot) that when wiped up had some light brown flecks in it.
Also in it was a big hunk of something light brown. At first glance, I was really concerned. It almost looked like a very light piece of 1 1/2 inch long stool. I worried about some kind of worm (I know they usually come out the other end!). But, when I picked it up and examined it, it was a giant hairball (more like hair snake!). In the second pile was a tiny remaining piece of hairball. Now, this is the first hairball I have ever seen, so I have no comparison, but it was huge.
Delilah also coughs on occasion (as does Belle, but Delilah much more often), maybe once a week, going through spurts where she'll do it for a few days in a row. Since it didn't happen often, I always figured that it was a hairball they were trying to hack up. Nothing ever came out though, and today, it was vomiting noises, not coughing noises.
Delilah was acting fine after her vomiting episode. Actually, she was walking around tail straight up in the air as if she was proud of herself. She is acting, eating (in fact, was just eating a couple of minutes ago, and now her and Belle are chasing each other down the hallway), and looking normal (she's my chubby cat).
So, first off, do you think this warrants a vet trip? I'm reluctant to take her in, since she did indeed bring a hairball up. I have a funny feeling they are just going to tell me it's a hairball and sell me some overpriced vasoline! My only concern is that she's my hernia kitty (still has a small umbilical hernia that never got fixed), and I know vomitting is one of the symptoms that it can be acting up. The hernia seems fine though...it has remained the same size (sometimes it takes me a bit to even find it) and it doesn't bother her when I press on it.
What I would like to do is begin to record all vomiting/coughing episodes in my house. They are due for their vaccinating/year exam soon anyway, and I plan to take them in once I'm done work (last week of school coming up!). If I record everything and bring them in with the list, the vet should be able to tell me if I should be concerned. Of course, if the vomitting became more frequent, I would get them in sooner.
I've been mixing Kirkland in with their Orijen for about a month and a half now, and we've been stable at about a 50/50 mix for about a month. For various reasons, including the increase in vomiting, I think I'm just going to put them back on straight Orijen. I don't know if food makes a difference with hairballs.
Let me know what you think.
Well, 2 days ago, I woke up to Delilah vomiting. She vomited a small pile of brown-ish/clear liquid (NOT the yellowish/foamy stuff I had seen Zoey vomit on occasion). Almost looked like wet food/saliva after it would be in her tummy for a while. I decided to keep a note of it and carry on.
Today, I woke up again to the vomiting noises. Got up right away, as Delilah was moving to another spot to finish her lurching. The first pile was a HUGE pile of clearish-sticky liquid (resembling saliva, but there was a lot) that when wiped up had some light brown flecks in it.
Also in it was a big hunk of something light brown. At first glance, I was really concerned. It almost looked like a very light piece of 1 1/2 inch long stool. I worried about some kind of worm (I know they usually come out the other end!). But, when I picked it up and examined it, it was a giant hairball (more like hair snake!). In the second pile was a tiny remaining piece of hairball. Now, this is the first hairball I have ever seen, so I have no comparison, but it was huge.
Delilah also coughs on occasion (as does Belle, but Delilah much more often), maybe once a week, going through spurts where she'll do it for a few days in a row. Since it didn't happen often, I always figured that it was a hairball they were trying to hack up. Nothing ever came out though, and today, it was vomiting noises, not coughing noises.
Delilah was acting fine after her vomiting episode. Actually, she was walking around tail straight up in the air as if she was proud of herself. She is acting, eating (in fact, was just eating a couple of minutes ago, and now her and Belle are chasing each other down the hallway), and looking normal (she's my chubby cat).
So, first off, do you think this warrants a vet trip? I'm reluctant to take her in, since she did indeed bring a hairball up. I have a funny feeling they are just going to tell me it's a hairball and sell me some overpriced vasoline! My only concern is that she's my hernia kitty (still has a small umbilical hernia that never got fixed), and I know vomitting is one of the symptoms that it can be acting up. The hernia seems fine though...it has remained the same size (sometimes it takes me a bit to even find it) and it doesn't bother her when I press on it.
What I would like to do is begin to record all vomiting/coughing episodes in my house. They are due for their vaccinating/year exam soon anyway, and I plan to take them in once I'm done work (last week of school coming up!). If I record everything and bring them in with the list, the vet should be able to tell me if I should be concerned. Of course, if the vomitting became more frequent, I would get them in sooner.
I've been mixing Kirkland in with their Orijen for about a month and a half now, and we've been stable at about a 50/50 mix for about a month. For various reasons, including the increase in vomiting, I think I'm just going to put them back on straight Orijen. I don't know if food makes a difference with hairballs.
Let me know what you think.
